PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by six candidates challenging the conduct of the physical efficiency test for recruitment to the post of Police Sub-Inspector, holding that the process was neither arbitrary nor violated constitutional guarantees.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar rejected the allegations that the 800-metre race was conducted unfairly, after perusing affidavits filed by the State and viewing video recordings of the test produced before the court.
The petitioners had contended that overcrowding on a track, the width and condition of the ground, and the manner in which candidates were made to run adversely affected their performance and rendered the test arbitrary. They sought quashing of the 800-metre run and to issue a direction to conduct a fresh test on a recognised athletic track.
Opposing the plea, the State submitted that the test was conducted batch-wise between December 9 and 17, 2025, using RFID-based timing technology operated by a specialised agency, and that uniform procedures were followed for all candidates. It informed the court that out of 936 candidates who undertook the 800-metre run, 449 qualified to proceed to the next stage of recruitment.
After examining the material on record, the bench dismissed the petition stating they did not find any violation of Articles 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution of India and “this is not a fit case to exercise jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.”
The bench further observed that the successful candidates were not impleaded as parties and that granting a re-test would be unfair as it would only allow a few candidates who approach the Court for a second shot or attempt.
